Governance Strategy Quotes

It is a maxim of wise government to deal with men not as they ought to be but as they are.

A wise government knows how to enforce with temper or to conciliate with dignity.

The government should set a goal for a clean environment but not mandate how that goal should be implemented.

While you cannot deliver policies without principles, you cannot deliver principles without having power. You have quickly to move to a stage where, emphasising your principles, you build a programme, then call for popular support.

The conservative Republican governors tend to be more oriented toward trying to work with Democrats and getting things done.

We will govern as if we had a majority. You simply carry on with your agenda.

Once he is elected president, the president’s electoral coalition has, in a sense, served its purpose. The day after his election the size of his majority is almost — if not entirely — irrelevant to his ability to govern the country. . . . What counts then is his ability to mobilize support from the leaders of the key institutions in society and government.

Fine Gael needs to be Fine Gael and needs to stand its ground. It should not sacrifice its politics for position in government.